Ukraine accuses Russia of breaking Mariupol ceasefire

Ukraine’s foreign ministry has accused Russia of violating a ceasefire, by shelling the humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhzhia to the besieged city of Mariupol.

In the southern port city of Mariupol, people are not only suffering bombardment, but have no heat, water, sanitary systems or phones.

Here is Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko:

As Associated Press reports, buses were supposed to deliver humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine to the city, then pick up civilians to take them to a safe place.

But soon after officials announced that buses were en route, the Ukrainian president’s office said it had been informed of shelling on the escape route. It is unclear whether the supply convoy made it to Mariupol or whether civilians will freely board the buses if the shelling continues.

The mayor also cast doubt on the evacuations, telling the BBC that Russian forces continued to bombard area where people were trying to gather. He said some roads were blocked, others were mined.

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. An estimated 200,000 people nearly half the population of 430,000 hope to flee.

Here is an image provided by Ukraine’s government of the buses intended to evacuate Mariupol residents. On the front is the Russian word “people”.